


I Don't Want to Dance Alone

by argentiumm



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bisexual Ron, Fluff, M/M, No Smut, Slow Burn, Some angst, Yule Ball (Harry Potter), none of that heteronormative yule ball nonsense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-07-17 17:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16100687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argentiumm/pseuds/argentiumm
Summary: Harry asks Draco for a dance at the Yule Ball. Things don't go to plan.





	1. There's a Relevation

Harry felt like throwing himself out the window. Lisa Turpin just wouldn’t shove off.

“Look, Lisa, I said no already. Sorry.” Harry sighed. It was the second time Lisa had asked him to the Yule Ball, and the fifth time he’d been asked out that day.

Lisa tipped her head in disbelief. “Harry, come on. You’re saying no to  _ everyone. _ Do you want to dance by yourself?” She asked with a laugh.

“Yeah maybe. Goodbye now.” Harry walked away as quickly as he could, ignoring the other students’ looks. Lisa had hit the nail on the head, though. Harry really didn’t want to dance by himself. Cho had turned him down, and there wasn’t anyone else that Harry could think to ask to the Ball. Lost in his thoughts, he walked right into Malfoy and took them both to the floor.

“Damn it, Potter! Is your problem in the head, not just your eyes then?”

It took Harry a moment to decipher Malfoy’s insult but by then the only response he could give was to roll his eyes and mumble an apology as he got up.

Malfoy got up and glared at Harry, then pointedly looked at his things scattered across the floor. Harry sighed, and gathered Malfoy’s things into the Slytherin bag. When he was done, Malfoy quickly snatched it away with a sneer. 

“I pity the girl you take to the ball.”

“I’m not taking a girl.” Harry said without thinking, leaving Malfoy speechless. Harry turned and kept himself from running away.

Harry's face burned. He could not believe what he had just said to Malfoy. _ I’m not taking a girl. _ Why had he handed Malfoy more stuff to torment him with? Now everyone would think he was gay.Not that he wasn’t half gay, well bi, but he didn’t really want EVERYONE to know.

He entered the library, sitting near the back as usual. Ron and Hermione entered, bickering good-naturedly as usual. They sat next to Harry, and opened their textbooks.

“Everything okay, mate?” Ron asked when he saw Harry’s frown.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Don't worry about it."

Hermione opened her mind to argue, but decided against it. She knew Harry would tell them once he was ready.

Ron started asking about Potions, and Harry drifted off to replay his encounter with Malfoy earlier.

_ What a git. The whole school will be after me now. _

XXXXXX

Draco entered the Slytherin Common Room. He was also replaying his encounter with Potter earlier. The boy had looked so flustered, green eyes pointing everywhere but at Draco.

_ “I’m not taking a girl.” Damn it Potter.  _ Draco cursed. Turns out that Potter likes boys - but not Draco. 

Draco looked up as he heard Pansy and Blaise enter the Common Room and called them over to him.

"Pans, Blaise, here, now."

Blaise looked at Draco's face as he approached and started laughing. "What now, Draco? Girl turn you down?"

Draco scowled, "No, damn it," then sniffed indignantly, "As if any girl would turn me down."

Pans gave him a sly grin, "Boy turn you down then?"

Draco's scowl deepened, but then he relented. "Actually, Potter is being infuriating, and I need help dealing with him."

He ignored Pansy and Blaise as they shot each other knowing smirks. After all, they didn't know exactly what Potter had done yet. How dare Potter drop a line like that and then RUN AWAY.  _ Coward. _

"Look, Potter is trying to lead me on, obviously so he can make fun of me later. Prat." Draco flashed back to the memory, and the blush that had overtaken Potter's face. But no - Potter could NOT be shy. He wanted to make Draco humiliate himself, that was all. It had to be.

Blaise’s eyebrows rose, and Pansy mouth dropped. Both stared at Draco quietly until he finally broke and demanded, “What?”

Blaise and Pansy immediately started talking over each other in a rush.

“Draco, what do you  _ mean  _  he  _ led you on?” _

“That’s too Slytherin a move, he probably meant it? Maybe?”

“What EXACTLY DID HE SAY!”

“I didn’t know Potter was gay. Did you know Pansy?”

“Oh my God, did he ASK YOU OUT?” Pansy’s last shriek got Draco sputtering.  _ Good thing I cast a privacy charm. _

“No, he did not  _ ask me out _ thank you. He just said he wasn’t taking a girl to the Yule Ball. And he was  _ blushing!  _ And then he ran away. Tell me what I am supposed to make of that?” Draco was trying to regain his dignity. The longer this conversation lasted the more stupid he felt, especially as Blaise and Pansy kept exchanging smirks and exasperated looks.

Pansy licked her lips and bit them lightly. “Draco…. Have you considered that maybe… Potter likes you?” Seeing Draco’s shocked face as he tried to form a biting retort, Pansy quickly added, “From your own description he was flustered about what happened. And I know that he doesn’t have a date.”

Draco gave a small jerk at the last sentence. Did it mean that Potter was actually available? Not that Draco could do anything anyway. His own animosity with Potter, his father’s hand in the events of second year, combined with Potter’s indiscriminate disgust with all things Dark, meant that Draco would still be forced into hopeless dreaming.

Draco’s curiosity was noticeable and Blaise took a chance. Cocking his head to one side, one eyebrow raised, Blaise tossed Draco a smile and said, “Don’t you want to know about Potter’s nonexistent date?” When Draco just looked at him without responding, Blaise shrugged. “Alright. I’m definitely interested and could go to take the word ‘nonexistent’ out of the story.”

“Tell me the story Blaise! Don’t be a prick!” Draco burst out.

Blaise bowed his head to hide his smile. “Well, I asked Theodore Nott to the Ball. As he, Pansy, and I left the Great Hall, we chanced upon Potter being asked out by a Ravenclaw girl -”

“Lisa Turpin.” Pansy cut in.

Blaise glared at her, then continued, “Lisa Turpin. Potter turned her down of course. And then Turpin starts ranting about Potter turning everyone down.”

“That’s a great story and all, but that does not mean that Potter likes me. For all I know he is slobbering over the Weasel.” Draco said in a huff, face scrunched in disgust.

“Oh? So you admit that you  _ want _ Potter to like you?” Pansy teased.

Draco;s eyes bulged with horror, even as his blush gave him away. “NO! That is NOT what I meant and you know it! I just want to know why the bleeding Golden Boy doesn’t have a date. It’s strange seeing as at least 20 people have asked him so far.”

Pansy’s question answered, she leaned back into the sofa with a smile. With a soft voice she said, “My darling Draco. I imagine it’s for the same reason that you don’t have a date either.”

Blaise leaned towards the table in front of the sofa and pulled a book out of his bag. “Well, I really don’t know. But even if I did, there’s nothing that we’ll do with that information anyway.”

Draco realized that the conversation was closed. Perhaps it was a small mercy. He felt uneasy about Pansy’s and Blaise’s implications. He pulled a book out of his own bag. His eyes slowly drifted across the page even as his mind tossed about like a canoe in a hurricane.


	2. The Boys Get A Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to chapter two! Having a lot of fun over here, seeing what happens next :)

Harry stayed back as Ron and Hermione left the library. They had tried to get him to come with them. Harry insisted that he wanted to do just a bit more research if it’ll help him with his next task. Finally, Ron and Hermione relented and left without him.

The truth was that Harry was scared of bumping into Malfoy while he was with his friends. Malfoy would certainly bring up the new information he had about Harry. Even though Harry knew that it didn’t matter, he still didn’t want it brought into the spotlight in that sort of confrontation. 

Harry waited about 20 minutes before heading to the Gryffindor Common Room. When the Fat Lady’s portrait opened, the hole in the wall revealed a very interesting image. Ron was perched on the edge of an armchair with a shattered look on his face. His fingers clawed into the arms of the seat. Ginny and Hermione were on either side of him, attempting to provide comfort.

“What happened to you?” Harry asked, concerned.

Ginny grimaced. “He asked Fleur Delacour to the Yule Ball.”

Harry gasped. “What did she say?”

“No, of course,” said Hermione calmly. Harry glanced at her before turning back to Ron and raising an eyebrow at him.

Ron swallowed and said, “I was just walking by with Hermione when I saw her. I couldn’t help it. It just sort of - slipped out.”

“Actually, he screamed at her. It was rather mortifying.” Ginny bit her lower lip, her eyes laughing. However, she continued to pat Ron on the back.

Harry was stunned. “Well, what happened then?”

Ron looked increasingly sullen. “What would you think? I ran for it. There’s nothing to be done. Guess I’ll have to dance by myself at the Ball.”

“Actually Ron, I meant to tell you. Cho turned me down too. She’s going with Diggory.” Harry said in consolation.

As the four friends sat in silence, Harry had an idea. “Ron, how about you be my date? It’ll be fun.”

Ron looked up surprised and a grin overtook his face. “That’s brilliant Harry. Guess we should find matching robes.”

Hermione protested. “You two can’t go together! Both of you are pitiful dancers, and your first dance will be the highlight of the event! It’ll be a disaster.”

“Oh calm down Hermione. Harry and I will practice together. You could help us even.” Ron’s mood had lightened considerably.

Ginny nodded. “Actually, that’s a good idea. I should practice with Neville as well.” She gave Ron one last pat and left. The trio chatted for a while, discussing plans for the Ball, though Hermione was frustratingly secretive.

The following day, Ron and Harry sat down for breakfast on the side closest to the door. 

“Hey, Weasley! Managed to get a date yet?” A voice called from the other end of the table. It was McLaggen, the quintessential brat. The entirety of the Great Hall quieted down. They had all heard about Ron’s outburst yesterday and were eager to see if Ron would take the bait.

Ron heroically swallowed his embarrassment long enough to yell back, “Yeah, I’m going with Harry!” Ron breathed deeply and whispered to Harry, “Oh God. Is that what I’ll always be remembered for?”

Harry threw an arm across Ron’s shoulders and ruffled his hair. “Don’t worry Ron. If we keep up our awful dancing for the Ball, that moment will be forgotten forever.” Harry’s humour left him as soon as he thought of his own words. “Merlin, Ron, we need to work on our dancing.”

XXXXXX

Draco put his fork back on his plate as he heard a bellow from the Gryffindor table.

“Hey, Weasley! Managed to get a date yet?”

“Yeah, I’m going with Harry!”

Draco watched as Weasley and Potter got closer to each other. To Draco’s dismay, Potter threw an arm over Weasley and ruffled his hair.  _ I’m not taking a girl, he said. I can’t believe that Potter chose Weasley!  _ The two were clearly at ease with each other, which infuriated Draco. 

Draco smashed the table with his fist. “Weasley is what? Did you hear that, Pansy? Blaise?”

Blaise replied with a perfectly even tone, “Weasley is going with Potter to the Ball,” and resumed eating. Pansy skipped a beat before following Blaise’s example. _Well that’s odd. Usually they are more responsive._

Draco looked back and forth between the two but neither gave him another glance. “Is that all you can say? Potter is taking Weasley to the Ball.”

Pansy looked up and said, “I thought you didn’t care about who Potter took to the Ball,” and went back to her breakfast.

Draco faltered.  _ That’s right. I shouldn’t care who Potter goes to the Ball with. Even if it does mean he doesn’t like me.  _ The last thought made Draco steel himself. Malfoys shouldn’t care about being liked. He said, “Pansy, may I have the pleasure of escorting you to the Yule Ball?”

Pansy arched an eyebrow, but the expression was replaced in a split second. She smiled at Draco and said, “Why, darling, I thought you would never ask. We’ll match our robes tonight!” She flashed her dimples once more.

Draco gave her a small smile, though he felt a stone drop in his heart.  _ Damn the Weasleys.  _

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Draco didn’t catch a glimpse of Potter the whole day, souring his bitter mood. He did see Weasley in the corridor and sent a spell to levitate the redhead’s bag over the railing. Draco slipped past Weasley. He enjoyed sharing his ill mood with the person that caused it.

Draco studied with Blaise, Greg, and Vince in the afternoon. Pansy spent the evening matching their robes. Everything should have been well, but Draco couldn’t shake off his dejection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, wonder what'll happen next! Please let me know what you thought!!! <3


	3. They Finally Talk To Each Other (yeah, spoiler alert btw)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I finished typing this up, and was gonna wait to post next week, you know. start a schedule for posting, but NOPE here it is because THE PEOPLE DESERVE MORE

Harry and Ron headed to the door in front of the Great Hall to wait for the Ball to start. Harry looked at Cedric and Cho. They really were a cute couple. Ron laughed when Harry mentioned that to him.

“You're really heartbroken over Cho. Real love, that was.”

"Shut up.”

Harry looked at Ron and smiled. It was nice to be going to the Ball with someone he was happy around.  _ We’re just friends though. I wish I had had the guts to ask Malfoy out. I ran away. Where’s the Gryffindor Harry? _

“Ready?” said Ron.

Harry perked up and nodded. “I’m still scared of the dancing.”

Ron laughed. “I think we’re doing pretty good together. All that practice paid off.”

Harry smiled and turned away. He saw Malfoy turn in from the corridor, Parkinson on his arm. Harry’s breath caught. Malfoy was dressed in silver, with emerald embroidery on the hems. The robe clung to his slender build. Harry glanced at Parkinson. She looked nice in the deep pink. It shouldn't have matched with Malfoy’s outfit but somehow it did.

Harry's gaze returned to Malfoy, captivated by how the blond curls caught the light. Suddenly, his and Malfoy’s eyes connected. Harry felt warmth in his neck. Malfoy looked away.  _ Thank Merlin. He has gorgeous eyes. How did I never notice? _ But he had, and there was no going back.

“Is that Granger?” Harry heard Parkinson ask.

Harry turned around and Ron did too. Hermione was coming down the stairs. Her curly hair was loose, and held back from her face with an ornate gold headband. Her blue dress made her look ethereal. When she got to the bottom, she smiled shyly at Harry and Ron.

“What do you think?”

Ron stammered out, “You look… nice. Real nice.”

“Yeah, you look beautiful. Real bombshell.” said Harry.

Hermione smiled, “Okay, thanks. Oh here he comes.”

Krum materialized next to Ron, and held a hand out to Hermione. “Miss, may I escort you now?” As he left with Hermione on his arm, Ron turned on the spot to stare at them.

“Blimey Harry. My two crushes are going with each other.” Ron’s face turned red. “I meant to say, how did Hermione get him? Are they dating? Wha-”

Harry put his hand on Ron's arm. “Breath, Ron. I'm not going to judge you. Besides, it was kind of obvious you liked Krum.”

Ron’s lips turned up a little. Then he looked quite confused. He opened his mouth but just then McGonagall announced the start of the dance.

“Ready?” said Harry.

“Ready.”

Hand in hand, Harry and Ron entered the hall

XXXXXX

Weasley was twirling Potter around the room. Both were laughing and smiling at each other. It was a really cute scenario. Draco hated it.

Pansy tugged on Draco’s arm. “Sweetheart, we can dance together now. You can stop glaring at Weasley.”

Draco sighed. He led Pansy to the dance floor. Blaise joined with Nott - did Draco have to call him Theo now? He turned back to Pansy who had her dimples on full display.

“So, Draco, tell me. What did Weasley do to offend you?”

Draco narrowed his eyes at her. “His dancing was atrocious. I am a much better dance partner.”

Pansy quickly agreed but added, “He and Potter together were a nice pair though.”

“Maybe. I don’t care.”

Pansy shrugged. “Alright.”

They kept dancing for a few more songs. The slow songs were nice. Draco could people watch while talking with Pansy. He noticed that Potter shared a table with Weasley, Krum, and Granger. Potter seemed to be looking over at him every now and then, but Draco put it out of his mind.  _ Probably just looking at the dancers in general. _

Pansy suggested they take a break for drink so Draco led her away from the dance floor. They got their drinks and began to look for a quiet spot to sit. One push later, Draco’s drinks were all over himself and the floor.

“Scourgify! I am so sorry. You alright Malfoy?”  _ Potter. Of course.  _ Draco looked up at Potter. Just an inch taller and Draco could have looked down his nose at Potter. It was an infuriating difference.

Draco rolled his eyes. “It’s fine Potter. You aren’t ever graceful, even in front of international audiences.”

Potter flushed. Draco pushed past him and went for more drinks.  _ Bloody idiot can’t leave me alone.  _ A moment later Draco bit back a smile.  _ I touched Harry Potter.  _

XXXXXX

Harry sat with Ron. Ron was looking glumly at Krum and Hermione. Whatever he was thinking, Harry didn't like it. “Snap out of it.”

Ron blinked. “Alright. But I still don't like it.”

Harry ruffled Ron's hair then called to Hermione, “Hey! Want to join us for a moment?”

Ron choked on his breath when Hermione nodded and started walking to the table with Krum.

Ron stammered out, “Why did you go and do that?”

Harry grinned. “You know you wanted me to.” Ron didn't argue.

Krum pulled a seat out for Hermione, then sat between her and Ron. Hermione introduced everyone. Ron blushed when he shook hands with Krum. A conversation on Quidditch soon followed. Even Hermione joined in.

Harry joined in, but his gaze was focused on Malfoy.  _ He's an excellent dancer. I wonder what it'll be like to dance with him. _

When Hermione asked for some drinks, Harry volunteered to get them.  _ Good luck Ron, here's your chance.  _ The drinks also happened to be close to the dance floor. As Harry was walking over, he looked for Malfoy but couldn't find him. He kept walking but only looked at the dancers. Had Malfoy left? And then-

“Scourgify! I am so sorry. You alright Malfoy?”  _ Well. Found him. _

Malfoy rolled his eyes at Harry, who realized that Malfoy’s grey eyes were flecked with blue.

“It’s fine Potter. You aren’t ever graceful, even in front of international audiences.”

Harry flushed as Malfoy pushed past him. Harry kept walking towards the drinks, seemingly following Malfoy.  _ Come on Harry, be a Gryffindor. _ Harry tried to give himself a pep talk as he approached Malfoy at the table.

“Malfoy?”

“What?” Malfoy snapped.

Harry fidgeted with his hands. Suddenly, asking Malfoy to a dance seemed 10 times harder.

“If you lost usage of your vocal chords, I suggest you go to Madam Pomfrey.” Malfoy began to turn away and Harry grabbed his arm.

“Wait! I meant to say, youreawonderfuldancerdancewithmemaybe?”

Malfoy pursed his lips and slowly said, “Could you repeat that?”

Harry took a deep breath. “You’re a wonderful dancer. Could I dance with you?”

XXXXXX

_ Why is Potter following me? _ Draco served the drinks as quickly as he could so he could escape. 

“Malfoy?”

“What?”  _ Does he want to pick a fight now? Bloody Gryffindors. Have to watch him with Weasley and now this.  _

Draco watched as Potter fidgeted and couldn’t stand it anymore. “If you lost usage of your vocal chords, I suggest you go to Madam Pomfrey.” Draco started to walk away when Potter jerked his arm back.

“Wait! I meant to say, youreawonderfuldancerdancewithmemaybe?”

Draco stiffened. Did Potter really say what he thought he did?

Draco pursed his lips and slowly said, “Could you repeat that?”

Potter breathed deeply before looking slightly away from Draco.“You’re a wonderful dancer. Could I dance with you?”

Draco could feel the a small smile slowly growing on his face. He quickly stopped himself. It could just be a trick after all. But maybe, just maybe, things were suddenly looking up for him.

“Alright. But not here. 4th classroom on the 1st side corridor. When this is over. I’ll meet you there.” Draco hurried away. If Potter was there alone, he was sincere. If he never showed up, then Draco would hex him 1000 ways til Sunday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it!! Let me know what you thought :)  
> Any guesses about what happens next?


	4. Some Detours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling pretty inspired right now, so I'm typing real speedy, hope the motivation lasts. Burn some candles to your god(s) to help me out ? Anyhow, here is chapter four !!!

Harry passed out the drinks at the table. He couldn’t believe his own nerve at asking Draco Malfoy to a dance. Unbelievably, Malfoy had said yes. Ron must have noticed how out of it Harry was because he asked,“You alright?” Harry nodded and overenthusiastically joined the conversation.

Hermione and Ron were asking Krum about his hobbies and plans. Krum actually looked excited to be telling them until Harry asked, “So where exactly is your castle?”

Krum leaned back in his seat. “We are not allowed to discuss it.” Seeing how put out everyone was, Krum added, “Perhaps next Tri-Wizard, if we host, then you can visit.”

Ron and Hermione were both leaned towards each other and Krum, Harry noticed with a smile. Looked like leaving the table had done them some good. When the Weird Sisters started playing, Hermione clapped her hands.

Krum said, “You like them? We can go dance.” Hermione accepted his hand and they went to the dance floor.

Harry quickly asked Ron to dance too. They tried to tango, but tripped over each other, laughing. Harry kept smiling so hard his cheeks started to hurt.

Later in the night, the dances became slower, more intimate. The Ballroom was slowly getting emptier and Ron steered Harry closer to Krum and Hermione. Harry thought it was hardly discreet. Still, he wasn’t going to get mad at Ron. He understood. After all, Harry had spent the last 2 hours working to get even the slightest glimpse of Malfoy.

Finally, Harry figured that he was going to have to sacrifice himself again. “Sorry Ron, I need to take a break.”

“That’s a shame, but it’s fine.” Ron was obviously biting down a smile as he glanced over at Krum. Harry grinned on the inside and went to the snack table. There was a chocolate fountain that he hadn’t taken advantage of yet. He had just figured out how to switch it to caramel when Ron grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door.

“Damn it Harry. I’ve just gone and ruined everything. Made an absolute fool of myself.” Ron’s voice wavered, on the very edge of breaking as he kept bemoaning whatever it was that he had done.

Harry was quite confused but he tried to be supportive. “I’m sure it wasn’t all that bad.”

To Harry’s unease, Ron dragged him all the way back to their dorm. Harry was trying to figure out if he could leave to go meet Malfoy when Ron collapsed into him and started sobbing. Harry figured that his best friend was more important than a meeting that might or might not be a prank anyway. He patted Ron on the back until he calmed down and sat on his own bed facing Harry. 

Harry said, “So what exactly happened?”

Ron closed his eyes. “Hermione left the Ball just a bit after you took a break. I went up to Krum and asked him for a dance, and so we did that. And then -” Ron groaned and said, “And then I asked if he was dating Hermione. He said no and I guess I looked too happy about that because then he grabbed my shoulders and said ‘You’re a good kid but I’m not interested. I’m sorry.’ He patted me and then  _ left.  _ He just  _ left.” _

Harry and Ron sat in silence for a while. Harry looked Ron over. _ Poor Ron. And I’m doing the same thing to Malfoy right now.  _ Harry swallowed and said, “That sucks, really does. But you and he can still be friends right? Not to mention that he’s a whole three years older and lives in a different country. Maybe in the future something will happen, but for now there’s about a few hundred people right here that might be interested. Though if you ask out Zacharias Smith, I don’t know you anymore.”

Ron snorted through his sobs. “I won’t touch Smith, promise. Maybe Cormac McLaggen.” He grinned when Harry groaned. “Thanks mate, you’re great. A game of chess would be good right about now.”

Harry sniffed and rolled his eyes. “Is humiliating me your idea of a pick-me-up?”

“Yep!” Ron pulled out a chess set, placed it on his bed, and put all the pieces on the board. 

Harry sat across from Ron.  _ I’m missing the date that I asked for. I’m so stupid. I’ll have to explain to Malfoy tomorrow. Can’t just leave Ron though.  _ Harry sighed.

“You good there?” Ron looked at Harry inquisitively.

Harry nodded. “Yeah, just thinking about where to move.”

XXXXXX

Malfoy sat on a desk in the empty room. “Tempus.” He stood from the desk and tried to flip it over. He growled when he failed. “Wingardium Leviosa!” The desk hurled at the ceiling and broke.

_ Midnight. I’m going to KILL that bastard. _

Draco swept out of the room. He swooped to the dungeons and through his Common Room, ignoring the curious Slytherins there. He was still fuming when he reached his dorm.

Theo looked up from Blaise’s bed. “Welcome back.” He slunk back into Blaise’s arms when Draco sneered at him.

Draco changed into his nightclothes and threw himself into his bed.

“What happened?” Blaise asked him.

_ Absolutely nothing thanks to Potter. Smooth-tongued arsesucker!  _ Draco ignored Blaise and wrapped himself tighter in the blanket.

“I’m talking to you. What happened?” 

Draco grimaced and said, “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“You’re anything but fine. You have tomorrow to tell me or I’m not getting you any custom-made fudge this week.”

Draco waved his curtain closed. He lay there until all he heard was deep breathing and snores.

Finally all alone, Draco let himself cry. Sobs ripped through his body. His throat scratched. He kept going until he was empty, a hole filled with the bitter saltwater from his tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with one decision, this fic is going to end up a lot longer than I was expecting it to. What do you think will happen next?  
> Thanks for reading <3  
> please let me know what you thought :)


	5. Payback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally gonna name this chapter "Reverse Card, Get Wrecked Potter" but decided that was too dramatic. Anyhow, here's an update !

When Draco woke up, he lay on his back and glared at the ceiling. He imagined Potter in his dorm, laughing with the Weasel, Longbottom, and the other Gryffindor boys. Potter would say,  _ “Can you believe the pointy git believed I wanted to dance with him!”  _ And they would all laugh at Draco.

Blaise’s hand descended on Draco’s face, who moved out of the way, annoyed. “Come on Draaaaco. Time to talk.”

Draco rolled up in bed and looked glumly at Blaise. “Do I have to?”

“It’s either that or we will all have to put up with your charming, pissed off self,” said Blaise with a nod. When Draco looked away, Blaise sat in front of him on the bed expectantly.

Draco fidgeted his fingers. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. He took a deep breath and nodded slowly. He looked at Blaise and said, “I think I like Potter.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

“Okay, so maybe I’m obviously obsessed with him. The point is, he tricked me. He must have realized I like him and he just -,” Draco took another deep breath, “he tricked me. He used me for a laugh. I can’t go to the Great Hall for breakfast. He’ll be there with his lion posse and they’ll laugh at me.”

Draco heard someone clear their throat somewhere to his right and he whipped his head to find Theo, Greg, and Vince looking at him. Theo leaned forward from Blaise’s bed and said, “But what exactly happened? I don’t know Potter very well but he doesn’t strike me as the type to do something like that.”

Draco sniffed and sat up straight. “He crashed into me, followed me, and asked me for a dance. Then, instead of meeting up with me, he went with Weasley up to their tower, probably to laugh at me. I am going to hex Potter for this!” Draco balled up his fists and hissed.

“And THERE is the trademark Draco temper,” said Greg.

Theo spoke again,””Maybe Potter just had to do something? Don’t just attack him without -”

“No, I’m going to hex him,” said Draco before jumping out of bed and into the bathroom.  _ I’m going to get that bastard back! _

XXXXXX

Harry walked with Ron and Hermione to the Great Hall for breakfast. He hadn’t told them about Malfoy, but the silence was so thick he didn’t think he ever would. Ron and Harry had walked down to the Common Room together. Everything had seemed fine. Then Harry saw Hermione and waved her over. She had paused and glared at Ron, who looked around awkwardly. After a minute she walked to them both and said hi to Harry, but ignored Ron. Now, almost twenty minutes later, no one had spoken a word.

As the trio neared the doors, Harry pulled forward. He quickly scanned the Gryffindor table to find Seamus and Dean. Harry started walking towards them. 

He crossed the doorway, and his feet fell out from under him. His feet jerked about and his face felt like it’d been stung by a dozen wasps. He heard Hermione end the spell on his feet but his face only seemed to get worse.

“Come on, let’s get him to the Hospital Wing,” said Ron. Harry felt himself get pulled up. He leaned on Hermione and Ron as they steered him.

“Who would do this to you?” Hermione said.

Harry just shrugged, but he had a pretty good idea.

XXXXXX

Draco took a sip from his goblet, smirking.

Blaise hit him on the back of the head and said, “Really? What are you, twelve?”

Draco threw Blaise a frown. “He deserved it,” Draco said, “and besides, which one of us made a literal court, complete with judge, witnesses, and Pensive to see if Theo liked him back?”

Theo laughed and reached around Blaise to high-five Draco.

Draco took another sip from his goblet. It still hurt to be fooled, especially by an idiot like Potter, but he sure felt a lot better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was fun ! I love some good old fashioned paybacks. Honestly, Draco is completely wrong, but he's also a huge mood. Please let me know what you thought!


End file.
